Play It Forward

GOOD SAMARITANS: When was the last time you did something for someone without expecting anything in return? Friends of mine relayed this story about a Washington, D.C. operator who went above and beyond. Stories such as this one remind me that this is truly a great industry made up of nice people who work hard. . .

My friend Ellen Maziarz of Arrive in Style in Trenton, N.J. tells the story like this:

“We received a last minute bus job on a Friday to take a group of people to Washington overnight then bring them back. Most of the hotels in Washington typically do not have parking that can accommodate buses. I called around and found a hotel in Virginia that could accommodate the bus. When my chauffeur got there, all of the parking was taken. The hotel had the chauffeur park in the front where the taxis loaded. He was a little nervous about leaving the vehicle there but he did not have a choice as it was the only place he could park it. You see our bus was still pretty new and he knew how we take care of our vehicles. It only had 25,000 miles on it. When he left the next day, he was encircled by taxis. He picked up the clients that afternoon to head home. He got outside of Washington when he discovered that the hose clam was missing on the antifreeze hose and that he no longer had any antifreeze. The bus would not run. He called back to our office and I immediately got on the phone. I called Carolyn Nelson at Bellaire Limousine who offered to go get our clients if we were stuck, but she was quite a ways from my bus. She gave me the names of three others who might be able to do something faster. Remember that this was late Sunday afternoon. I called Reggie Tymus of Capital City Limousine in Washington, D.C. Not only did he offer to send another bus, he personally went to the auto parts store and got parts and anti-freeze to get the bus up and running. He drove out and assisted our chauffeur with the repair and got us back on the road.

Has anyone gotten up to bat for you recently? Kudos to Reggie for being that stand up guy and doing a favor for a stranger that he only knew through a voice on the phone. Let me know who else in this industry has played it forward for you.

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